We Don't Walk Away
by VeritatemInVerbum
Summary: "We don't walk away." The Doctor once said that was the most important thing to know about traveling with him. No matter how great the danger, he could never walk away from the suffering of others. But when secrets are revealed which could change everything, can he hold to the ideals that have made him who he is? T for violence, suspense, death, and mild language.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. I don't claim to. I seek no profit. **

"She just keeps repeating herself, from the looks of it. One word. The same word, over and over. 'Doctor'."

"Doctor?" a strange man asked, appearing in the doorway. He flashed a rather impressive set of credentials nonchalantly and leaned over Frank's shoulder to look at the screen.

"I figure she must have died in some kind of hospital," he said.

"She didn't."

"How do you know?"

"Because I'm the Doctor. And she isn't dead."

"Hang on, what'd you mean 'she's not dead.' Yeah she is. It's in the footage. Twelfth minute of the twenty-ninth hour of the sixty first day of the fifth and final month of their seven-hundredth recorded year of the third magnetic cycle. Clara Oswald, serial number 01090241 transitions from semi-comatose to completely and officially deceased."

"Ah, well, yes, but she still might not be dead."

"But she is."

"But she doesn't have to be."

"How–"

"Listen, do see that blue box over there?"

"Y-yeah. . ."

"Right, well that's not just a police box. It's something different entirely. It's a TARDIS, and it's a lot more of an antique than you realize. It's one of only two of its kind in existence. And you know what?"

"What?" Frank's expression was now clearly beyond confused, and more than a little skeptical.

"Not twenty-four hours ago, I thought it was the only one in the universe. That just shows you how quickly everything you know can be rewritten." The man in the bow tie snapped his fingers here for emphasis.

"But I saw her die!" Frank insisted, choosing to focus on something he could more easily grasp.

"Haven't you been listening? Time can be rewritten. And if that's true, and I have anything to say about it, then she's no more dead than I am human, or that is a telephone box. Listen, uh. . ."

"Frank." By this point, Frank just stood there, dumbfounded, his eyes unblinkingly locked with the Doctor's.

"Listen, Frank," the Doctor's voice was now at its most urgent, "There's one thing you need to know. It's not that I'm an alien from Gallifrey; it isn't that this planet is about to explode; it isn't even that everything you know about the universe is completely inaccurate. If there's one thing, just one thing, you need get clear in your head _right now_ it's that I don't walk away!"

With that he dashed off to the police box, placing his hand on the door before Frank called to him, and he froze.

"Aren't you walking away right now?"

"No," he said, glancing back with a manic smirk. "I'm running. Out of the shadow."

With that, he pushed the door open and rushed into the box. Within, Frank seemed to see the impossible. An entire room concealed within the phone box.

He followed the Doctor in and stood gaping as the madman practically flew around the room, flicking buttons and switches.

"Ah, Frank, excellent. Come along for the ride, have you. Close the door behind you, then."

"But- but it's- it's,"

"Frank, the door, if you please."

"Bloody thing's bigger on the inside!"

The Doctor, rolling his eyes in exasperation, shoved past Frank and pulled the door closed as the TARDIS began to shake.

"What is it?" Franks demanded.

"The best ship in the universe," the Doctor said, well dashing around to console to pull some lever and then reaching over to press a distant button. "Well, I have a friend who might disagree with that."

"A ship. Like a space ship? That little box is a space ship?"

"And a time machine."

"Space ship. And time machine. And it's bigger on the inside."

"Yep."

"How much bigger?"

"Hm. . . Virtually infinite. Did I mention it's alive?"

"I think I need to sit down."

"There's a comfy chair over there, help yourself. No, wait, don't help yourself; don't sit down. We're in an emergency." With that, the Doctor returned to the doors and pulled them both open, stepping out into the very prison cell that been displayed on the recovered footage.

"We're there, aren't we?" Frank asked. "Actually there, thousands of years ago, in the room where she . . . appeared to die."

The Doctor nodded silently, approaching the dimly corner were a familiar figure lay on a small, plain bed. The Doctor moved some of her dark hair from her face and muttered something Frank couldn't hear before sitting down next to the sleeping woman.

"So what do we do?"

The Doctor hung his head and let out a small sigh.

"We wait."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One: The First Eighth Adventure**

**Disclaimer: Just thought I'd remind everyone that I definitely don't own or claim to own Doctor Who, or any affiliated characters, locations, etc. Entertainment purposes only and all that. **

_A/N: Hello, everyone. I didn't end up posting one of these for the prologue, because it was just a short introduction piece. This is where the real story starts, and also where I actually start being somewhat satisfied with my writing quality. So, anyway, just wanted to let you know that I appreciate you reading and would also appreciate some reviews. I'm going ahead and posting chapter one with the prologue, and I'll post chapter two after I get some feedback. Thanks. _

It would probably be best to begin at the beginning, but that is not what has happened here. Not exactly. The reason for this is simply that there is no beginning. From the birth of the universe itself to the final breath of known creation, everything has been the middle. And it has all happened concurrently, and madly, and has been filled with forgotten things, and immortal things, and complicated, difficult, wonderful, terrible, minuscule, and enormous things. And it has always been messy, and it hasn't always happened in what would appear to be the right order. So what is in fact the middle of the story is actually, at times, the perfect place to begin, because sometimes, on rare days, people meet in not exactly what appears to the right order. And someone can have met you without your having met them. And so, the sequence of cause and effect can differ from person to person, and the events which led up to a certain moment may not be the same for the two people led there, no matter how intertwined their stories may be. And with that in mind, it would now be best to begin at the other beginning, so that it may be better seen how exactly everything came to fall into place as it did.

The first thing he noticed when he awoke was that his watch was broken. That should have been his first clue that it was going to be a bad day. But, of course, it wasn't. He wasn't making those kinds of assumptions just yet. The only assumption he was willing to make was that he would need new clothes. It was odd, he had never really thought about it that much in his last body. He had a few things he could wear, different things, but he didn't put too much more thought into it. He had the sudden urge to step up his attire.

A few short moments in the TARDIS wardrobe revealed a white shirt, black pants, dark red jacket and matching red tie.

"Ada!" he called as he emerged, his voice echoing through the corridors of his TARDIS. It was only a few seconds before the young woman appeared. She was short, only about 5' 2'', and her hair was dark and fairly long. Her smile was slightly crooked, her nose was just a little unusual, but she had a warm, cheery demeanor. He knew it wasn't entirely authentic, though. She was, he deduced, exaggerating it on his behalf. Oh, she could certainly be friendly, bright, indeed she could be many things, including very caring and very clever. That was why she approached him with such an air of acceptance and familiarity, with that small smile that appeared to assure him everything was more or less alright. But the shine in her eyes was not entirely from happiness. She could not truly feel at home. He could see the redness there, the lingering tears. He noted how her smile faltered as she got near him and how she was reluctant to accept the embrace he offered. He spoke nothing of it, of course.

"How do I look?" He asked, standing at attention in front of her.

"Tall," she said at last, and he smirked somewhat jokingly before selecting a new pocket watch and sticking a few pens in his shirt pocket, which he discovered was conveniently equipped with a pocket protector. "And handsome," Ada added, almost as an afterthought, her smirk now mirroring his.

"Good to know some things never change," the time lord quipped. She didn't seem to find it very funny. "Look," he said quietly, "if . . . if you'd like to go home, it's alright. You know, if you need some time, or if, you're no longer comfortable–"

"Stop right there, you silly old man. I'm not going anywhere just yet."

He smiled at that and returned to the console.

"In that case, why don't we take a little trip? It must have been pretty boring waiting around for me to come to. And anyway, I need to test out the new body."

She smiled pretty genuinely at that, and so he set a course for the thing he most wanted to see. The most interesting thing, or rather, the first interesting thing which came to mind.

In the future, when mankind was exploring the stars, they found a planet, habitable but strange. A dry, desolate planet, with a core filling with a cocktail of strange chemicals and compounds of all sorts, and layer after layer of the most unusual rocks and soils across which their stumbling explorations had ever stumbled. And one day, that planet, full of strange new things they sought to investigate, exploded. It exploded completely, beginning with a rupture in the core that caused the scientists to evacuate and then, in the end and the pieces of this strange plane to float off into space.

This knowledge was in the time lord's mind as he set the course. The hour he chose—the moment—was the precise time at which the planet exploded, its surface all cracking and splintering and once, torn asunder in a burst of heat, and light, and majesty. It was at that exact moment in time that the two travelers arrived, their ship drifting in space at a distance just far enough away for some safety, overlooking the research station from whence the ships of scientists were departing.

Flinging open the door of the his TARDIS, the strange wanderer gazed out into the black vacuum and watched as pieces of the planet began to fly from it as if finally breaking free from some terrible bond. Ada stood beside him, looking at the planet below in wonder and fascination that never failed to rekindle the interest of her strange guide and guardian.

"The planet is about to explode," he said quietly.

"Can we stop it?" she asked.

"No. Fixed point in time. Don't worry, though, there's no one down there. The only living things there are the research crews, and they're evacuating now."

"What are we doing here, then?"

"It's interesting."

She laughed slightly at that, rolling her eyes just a bit at this ever-so-familiar trait of his character.

"Would you prefer the long answer?"

"How long?"

"Short long."

She nodded hesitantly.

"That planet down there is made almost entirely of as yet undiscovered substances, and yet somehow, it's habitable to humans, amongst other species. And what no one knows is that deep within that burning, chemical mess of a core is a strange mineral with properties that could revolutionize medicine. And, you know, I've never actually been here."

"Revolutionize medicine?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Yes. It has astounding healing properties. It contains a strange chemical blend that could potentially be used as a salve to heal terrible wounds, and it's conjectured that inhalation of its finest particles could awaken the comatose; it could revitalize just about anyone really, probably better than adrenaline or even paracepholon."

"Para-what?" she asked.

"Hasn't been invented yet, but that's not the point. The point is, those are just two properties we've figured out so far, and no one's actually seen the stuff, and if it can do all that, then it must contain certain chemicals and, well, I have a few guesses as to what else it can do."

"Like what?"

"Kill people, if the dose is slightly too large."

It was at that moment that the planet before them finally burst completely. It broke apart with a great crash and a monumental fire. The two time-travelers stared at it with some deal of wonder until it was finally over, and all that remained in the place of the planet was a handful of strange rocks and fluids drifting in space.

Clinging to the TARDIS doorway, the Inspector reached out towards a large rock floating in their direction. His right arm stretched out, his fingers extended all the way, grasping at the empty air. Finally, after a few agonizing moments of waiting his fingers touched the rock, and he grasped part of it in his hand and pulled it towards the TARDIS. He reentered with the new discovery, and proceeded to drop it on the floor.

"It was lighter when there was no gravity," he explained. Ada laughed and helped the time lord carry the object over to the console to be scanned and tested. Suddenly, however, something appeared on the main console screen. It was a transmission. A message. Written in high Gallifreyan. An old language that he had not seen used in some time.

"What is it?" Ada asked.

"It's the language of my people."

"What does it say?"

"'Go quickly, help them.' And then the destination. A time and place."

"What is it?"

"That planet, several thousand years ago."

"What do you think is there?"

"No idea."

"So what do we do?"

"Well, we can't just walk away."

At that, Ada's expression became puzzled, and then a tear sprung to her eyes.

"What is it?"

"I- I don't know. You just reminded me of someone."

"Who?"

"I don't remember." Her gaze seemed distant, her words distracted. The Inspector put a hand to the side of her face.

"Ada."

She looked him in the eye and then shook her head, looking back at him again with a clearer gaze.

"I'm fine."

He nodded reluctantly and turned back to the console, setting their course. A few moments of shaking and they had arrived.

"Wait here," he instructed, stepping out of the TARDIS doors and into a small room, seemingly underground, resembling a prison cell of some sort. He saw no door, but he did notice a curious blue box. A police public call box, AD 1963, London, England, Earth.

Then he noticed the people in the corner. Standing was a man in a researcher's uniform from the outpost thousands of years in the planet's future. Sitting on the corner of the small bed with a concerned expression was a strangely dressed personage with an enormous chin, and, most shockingly, lying on the bed, barely breathing, was Ada.

The Inspector's eyes widened slightly, and he felt his throat tighten strangely. He rushed forward to the bed, stopping an looking at the man in the bowtie as he stood quickly, his eyes becoming exactly level with the Inspector's.

"Hello, Inspector," he said cautiously.

"Who are you?" the Inspector demanded. "What's wrong with Ada?"

"She isn't Ada."

"Then who is she?"

"I can't tell you now. I can't tell you anything now."

"What do you mean? Why not?"

"You haven't met me yet, but I know you. And I know Ada. We all know each other. I'm sorry, but you can't know too much yet. But right now, you know that this young woman is dying, and you are the only one who can help. Trust me, you want to do this."

The man in the bowtie looked very close to tears, choking out his words as if each one was painful.

The Inspector hesitated only a moment before rushing back into his TARDIS and grabbing the stone. Heavy though it was, he forced it up and, holding it in his arms, sprinted back out.

"Stay here!" he called to Ada. He went over to the bed, kneeling before the dying woman. "Stand back," he told the third man in the room, who hadn't spoken yet, blasting the stone with a concentrated radiative refining device that was in the inside pocket of his jacket. He picked up the fine powder that remained, taking in the excess radiation on contact, and opened the woman's mouth, dropping a pinch into her mouth and making sure she ingested it. "That should do it. Now you're going to tell me why I did that. What's going on?"

"You know who I am," the bowtie-wearer said, with some hesitation.

"I do," admitted the Inspector, "but I can't accept it. That just. . . isn't possible."

By that point in time, the strange man with the chin had returned to the girl's bedside, watching as her breathing cleared. He retrieved a sonic device from his pocket and pointed it at the camera in the corner. It lit up with a whirr and performed some magic on the camera, presumably making alterations to ensure a different future, and then he used it to scan the young woman on the bed, looking at the device with satisfaction and relief afterwards.

The Inspector gazed at the man and his companions in wonder for a moment, but soon the other man informed him that he should leave.

"We'll meet again soon," he told the Inspector. "But I won't know you."

"What is your name? Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two: In All Of Time and Space**

_A/N: So, I'd like to thanks those of you who reviewed/followed/favorited. Of course, I'd like to thank those of you who just read as well. This chapter may be a little rough, but I had to go ahead and post it because it's taken long enough. I'm hoping to get the next one up in a week, so stay tuned for the next installment, and be patient with the slow reveals. Soon the think will indeed plotten. or something like that. . ._

**Disclaimer: If you think I'm claiming any ownership of any of this, you probably get your head examined. **

The Inspector nodded briefly before grabbing the stone and reentering his TARDIS, disguised at the moment as a one-man spacecraft from New Earth. Upon entering, he beheld the orange glow and glass floor of the TARDIS console room. He dropped the strange stone and made his way over to the console, his expression bewildered.

"What's going on?" Ada demanded. "What's out there?"

"The impossible."

She stood in his way as he attempted to dash around to another part of the console; her hands were planted firmly on her hips, and she was clearly awaiting a clear answer.

"A time lord. There was a time lord out there."

"I thought there were no more time lords."

"So did I."

She stepped out of his way, and he set a destination.

"If there's another time lord out there, why aren't we investigating?" she asked.

"Who says we're not?"

"I mean, 'why are we leaving?'"

"Because he's already met me. We have to find him again, at another place and time, where he doesn't know us yet. And there's no way of knowing when and where we met, or will meet. So, we've got to find out. Ergo, we are investigating."

"You still say _ergo_?"

"It has its advantages."

She rolled her eyes at him just as their miraculous vessel began to shake, throwing her to the side and forcing each of the occupants to grab onto the console to avoid being tossed onto the floor.

As the shaking subsided and the characteristic sound of landing and departure filled the air again, he gave her a somewhat shaken-looking grin and she smiled back. Yet despite everything seemingly to returning to a state of normality, the great shock and mystery lingered in the back of their minds.

Stepping out the TARDIS doors, they entered a long hallway. The ship had disguised itself as a book shelf for the time being, blending in with the endless series of archives that loomed ahead of them. It was a museum of sorts, filled with exhibits and information.

"Where are we?" Ada asked.

"The Grand Library and Museum."

"And where's that?"

"On one of the moons of an uncharted planet I used to live on. It's been abandoned for years, though, this library."

"Why?"

"No idea. It happened after I left."

Ada still had a puzzled look, but she seemed content with his answer for the moment. She followed him down the hall, past numerous exhibits, bits of junk from all of space and time stuffed into small glass cases, to a large multi-screen computer interface mounted on a wall in front of a large desk with a pair of keyboards on it. He pressed a few keys rapidly, turning on all the screens, which appeared to display different parts of the museum, which seemed utterly abandoned.

"So, why are we here?" Ada inquired curiously.

"Well, normally the TARDIS computers are good enough to use for investigative purposes, but this is an obscure bit of information, something I didn't know. He told me his name, and I didn't recognize it. I haven't thought of this place in some time, but I had no idea how else to search for him."

"So, you think there'll be some information on him in the library."

"Could be. . ."

The Inspector reconnected some wires and turned on the computers. The giant screen displayed an apparent search system. He typed in four keywords: _The Doctor, Time Lord. _

"You called?" a voice inquired. It was the Doctor. Purple coat and brown bowtie still in place. Or had it been a blue bowtie before?

"Hello, Doctor," the Inspector said politely, inclining his head towards the new presence in the room. "Didn't hear you come in."

"Yes, well, I think I arrived a few moments before you searched me. Time travel. Very tricky business."

As he spoke, the girl came running up behind him. The impossible girl. The one who looked exactly like Ada.

Ada approached the other girl, and the Doctor approached the Inspector. It was at about that time that everyone in the room seemed to really look at everyone else for the first time, and suddenly everyone's eyes were wide, and there was a lot of waving about of a sonic device, and Ada seemed near to fainting.

"Yowza. . ." the Doctor murmured quietly, putting away his sonic. "You're– you're…"

The Inspector nodded, smiling.

"But–But that's impossible!"

"No, it's not. Improbable, surely, but not impossible," the Inspector corrected. "Now, I believe introductions are in order. This is my. . . companion, Ada. I'm the Inspector. You are, of course, the Doctor, we've met in your future. My recent past. Now, that leaves only one more introduction, doesn't it?"

The Doctor shook his head, as if trying to clear it.

"I'm Clara," the impossible girl announced, rolling her eyes at the Time Lord's sudden uselessness. She turned here eyes to the Inspector, meeting his curious gaze with an almost apologetic expression before turning back to Ada.

The Inspector, doing what he did best, immediately noticed her lack of shock at seeing her own apparent twin right in front of her. She did show some reaction. It looked almost like. . . sadness. But hardly any shock at all, especially compared to her double.

The Time Lord in red rushed over to his companion in the manner of someone who had just remembered he had left the stove on and grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her. She didn't physically need steadying by this point, but he hoped in would be a good enough imitation of the figurative support he was not fully equipped to give.

"Ada, this is what I saw on that planet, and trust me, I'm just as puzzled as you must be. But this. . . Doctor. He is the other Time Lord."

"As if I couldn't tell that," Ada joked. "He's dressed even stranger than you. Not to mention the name is a dead giveaway."

"Oi!" the Doctor exclaimed, straightening his bowtie. "This is not _strange_."

"Not in the least," The Inspector agreed. "The bowtie is sophisticated. Sort of. . . cool."

"Oh, ye gods, there's two of them," said Clara, grinning even as she said it.

"How do I know I can trust you?" the Doctor finally asked.

"You don't," the Inspector said. "But I have no assurances about you, either. Our first meeting was brief. I can't tell you much, of course, all I can say is that we'd just come from the explosion of _."

"Then. . . do you have the thing?"

"Not important."

"Are you joking? Of course it's important!"

The Inspector promptly turned around without a word and head back to the TARDIS. In a moment, he emerged struggling with the chunk of rock, which he set down on the ground before the Doctor.

"There you go," he said. "Now, before you start waving you sonic device at it, I'd be interested to know how you knew I searching for you. Some sort of alert system. You'd be making use of some of the most impressive capabilities of the TARDIS computer system, especially for a type forty, like yours. I am right, aren't I? Type Forty? And a broken chameleon circuit, if the police public call box is any indication."

The Doctor merely looked at him.

"Doctor?" Clara asked quietly. "Doctor, I don't believe I've seen you speechless before."

The Time Lord seemed to come to his senses at that, doing a very over-acted impression of offended before betraying himself with a smile.

"You're absolutely right," he told the Inspector. "And as for knowing about the search, yes. The TARDIS computer knows if anyone searches for me in any database or internet or information system in all of time and space. I erased myself from recorded history, so when someone knows about me anyway, and when they get information about me that's not supposed to exist, I want to know."

"Well, this place has been completely off the grid and shut down for years. The systems were untouched by alterations to any past events or records. Time Lords built this place, so it's impervious to any meddling in time."

"Amazing!" The Doctor exclaimed. "Why have I never been here before? I love museums. Museums are cool."

He looked excitedly from one person to the next, expecting agreement, or at least a laugh. He only got blank stares. Looking a little deflated, he turned his focus back to the Inspector.

"I never imagined, that after all I've seen, there could be anyone else left. . . how is it that in all of time and space, I've never heard of you?"

"I was wondering the same about you, Doctor. I suppose I've been careful not to leave too much of a visible mark on things."

"Um, sorry," Ada interrupted, "but are we just ignoring the fact that this woman I've never met looks almost exactly like me. I mean, all of time and space, sure, but still, what are the odds of _that_?"

The Inspector, naturally, began mentally calculating the odds. As he did so, he saw the Doctor turn to look at Ada for the first time, and a most peculiar expression briefly graced his face. It was as if he had seen a ghost.

The Inspector didn't like it.

"This is Ada," he said, formally introducing her. "She's a friend of mine from the fifty-second century. Now, judging by the fabric of your clothes and the technology of your watching, I'm assuming you're twenty-first century earth, so you could in fact be distantly related. Or it could be a remarkable coincidence. What do you think, Doctor?"

The Doctor turned pale.

"Definitely a coincidence. That's got to be it."

The Inspector got the singular sense that everyone there knew he was lying. It was like he could feel the awareness, but nobody wanted to say anything. Ada knew, he could tell, that this was more than mere coincidence. She was so very, his companion.

He looked over at her with sympathy, which she met with confusion.

"It's been a very interesting meeting," he said, nodding to Clara and then turning to the look the Doctor in the eye. "We will meet again, Doctor."

With that, and no more, he turned around and headed for the TARDIS, Ada following hesitantly after. The Doctor probably called after him, but he paid no mind to the other Time Lord. Once he and Ada were inside, he slammed the door and began setting the coordinates for another time and place.

"Why are we leaving?" Ada asked him, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Bad intuition."

He would give no further explanation, and she knew it immediately. She would be used to that, as it was an old trait of his, not peculiar to one regeneration. He was never one to go into elaborate detail about his own thoughts. And he always trusted intuition.

In that moment, his every instinct was to run. The moment he had laid eyes on the Doctor and that girl, he knew something bas would come of it. His curiosity had been piqued, of course, but at that moment he was aware that it would much better for everyone to just walk away.

And so he did.


End file.
